Which statement best describes the relationship between thermal energy and temperature?

• A. Thermal energy decreases as temperature increases.
• B. Temperature depends only on the amount of substance, not on its thermal energy.
• C. Thermal energy increases as temperature increases because temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles.
• D. Thermal energy and temperature are always the same for any substance.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the definitions: Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance, while thermal energy is the total kinetic energy of all the particles in the substance.
2. Recognize that temperature reflects how fast particles are moving on average, regardless of how many particles there are.
3. Know that thermal energy depends on both the temperature and the number of particles (or the amount of substance), because it sums the kinetic energy of all particles.
4. Analyze the relationship: as temperature increases, the average kinetic energy of particles increases, so thermal energy generally increases if the amount of substance remains constant.
5. Conclude that thermal energy and temperature are related but not the same; thermal energy increases with temperature but also depends on the quantity of substance, so they cannot be considered identical.